HIT Scotland has awarded a record number of scholarships for people working across the hospitality sector this year.
The industry charity welcomed 284 successful candidates onto this year’s 2020 scheme – an increase of seventy from 2019 – at the HIT Talent Conference on February 6.
The successful candidates will be employed in a range of positions to develop their skills and knowledge of the trade in Scotland; new roles were introduced to the programme this year including Chef Craft Skills and Understanding Revenue – additional people management scholarships were also awarded due to the category’s popularity.
David Cochrane, chief executive of HIT Scotland, said: “This year we had a fantastic amount of high-quality applications, from all areas of Scottish hospitality, and it was very inspiring for us to see and hear the passion that people have for working in our industry.
“Everyone was keen to learn and develop to help their career and their business and make the offering from Scottish hospitality the best it can be.”
One of this year’s successful applicants, Ashleigh Foster – a pastry chef at Maryculter House near Aberdeen – was offered one of three Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland Craft scholarships.
Foster said: “My experience so far has very much specialised in pastry – so to be able to develop other key skills is a major ambition of mine.
“In particular, I am keen to learn more about traditional skills in order to stay ahead of the competition, as it’s something that is lacking in the industry at the moment. It would also be interesting to pick up some pointers and understand how other chefs operate in their own kitchen environments.”
